


We'll meet again

by shahondin



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Dreams and Nightmares, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Lucid Dreaming
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-29
Updated: 2019-03-29
Packaged: 2019-11-26 13:25:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18181175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shahondin/pseuds/shahondin
Summary: Sehun meets a strangely familiar, beautiful boy in his dreams. Over the next couple of weeks they become friends which spend Sehun's dreams together. That is until this peacefulness turns into nightmares.written for SEXIUniverse Ficfest prompt #48





	We'll meet again

**Author's Note:**

> To the prompter: I hope I did your wonderful prompt justice!
> 
> To the mods: You're the best!!
> 
> To the readers: Enjoy! 
> 
>  
> 
> Special thanks to R. <3
> 
>  
> 
> (Warning: The nightmares might be disturbing, but it's nothing too graphic.)

“No, you're not going to that party, Sehun,” the middle-aged man sighs. He's clearly frustrated with his son's stubbornness. Said son is currently standing in front of him, making puppy eyes.

“Dad pleeeaaase,” he whines, pouting for good measure. Unfortunately his antics don't work, he's not a child anymore.

“You're barely 16 years old. I won't let you go to such a party,” his father reasons, expression stern and unwavering. Sehun knows he has no chance but that doesn't stop him from trying nonetheless.

“You never let me have any fun! All of my friends are going and now I'm the only one who's not allowed because my dad is a boring, old man!” Sehun yells in frustration. If he doesn't go to that party he'll be outsided at school. He's sure of it.

“If you don't stop now, I won't let you go anywhere in the foreseeable future, young man.” His father ends the conversation, turning on his heel and leaving Sehun behind in the hall.

The boy holds his tears back, not wanting to cry even though it’s hard. His father is so unfair! If his mother would be home, she'd let him go partying for sure! But no, she had to visit her pregnant friend.

Sehun stomps to his room and throws himself on the bed. He spent an hour to arrange a cool outfit and it took him even longer to style his hair and put on some makeup. He wanted to impress the older boys at the party, maybe he could have befriended someone. His father ruined everything.

Wiping away the tear which fell without Sehun’s permission, he texts his best friend.

 

_Hun (9.36 p.m.)_  
_My dad won't let me go to the party… I'm so mad!_

 

Too impatient to wait for a response Sehun trots over to the bathroom and takes his makeup off. He nearly stabs his eye with a makeup removal pad because his hands shake from anger. Jongin is allowed to go. His dads are cool, unlike his own.

When he comes back to his room his cell phone blinks with a new message.

 

_Nini (9.41 p.m.)_  
_That sucks. Wanna come over and play Mario Kart?_

 

Sehun smiles in relief, Jongin is the best.

 

_Hun (9.42 p.m.)_  
_If the old man lets me... I'll ask_

 

Sehun quickly changes into comfortable clothes, combing his hair so it doesn't look styled anymore and puts together an overnight bag. He really hopes his father let's him sleep over at Jongin's. Putting up an innocent image wouldn't hurt.

The boy quietly makes his way to the living room where his father sits on a big armchair and reads a heavy book. He looks up when he eventually notices his son standing in the doorway. He puts down his reading glasses and looks at the boy expectantly.

“Can I sleep over at Jongin's?” Sehun mumbles, putting up puppy eyes and pout for the second time this evening.

His father thinks about the question for a moment, taking in his son's changed appearance, then sighs.”Yes, you're allowed to go.”

Sehun lights up instantly and runs to his father to give him a hug. “Thanks, see you tomorrow!”

Before Sehun is able to flee out of the house his father grabs him by the back of his shirt. “Wait a moment.”

The boy turns around with a questioning look and lowers the shoes he wanted to put on.

“I'll call Mr. Park to make sure you boys won't sneak out,” his father explains, then pushing the backpack into Sehun's arms who rolls with his eyes.

“Why don't you trust me?” Sehun questions with a whine, putting his shoes and a coat on.

“Because I lived with you for 16 years. Now go before I change my mind.”

 

 

As soon as he reaches Jongin's home, he starts to complain about the fight with his father, dramatically slumping on the Park family's couch. Jongin sits down next to him and throws an arm around his friend's shoulders for comfort.

“- and he said you doesn't trust me one bit! Can you believe that? I'm the most trustworthy teenager there is!” Sehun finishes while he stuffs his mouth with another hand full of chips, crumbs falling to the floor. Thank God for the taller Mr. Park who lets him eat as much junk food as he wants.

“Hunnie, you put soy sauce in your father's cola last week just for fun,” Jongin answers with a frown.

“That's totally irrelevant,” the other counters.

“You had told your parents that you visit me last month but instead gone shopping with your mother's credit card,” Jongin resumes, raising an eyebrow at Sehun who lets out a frustrated huff.

“She said that she wanted to buy me that new sweater anyway. Doesn't make a difference if I buy it myself with her money.” Sehun shrugs, not admitting to his faults in front of his best friend.

“Whatever, let's play, okay? I want to destroy you,” Jongin changes the topic with a roll of his eyes, pushes a controller into Sehun’s hand and starts the Switch connected to the television. Immediately the theme music of Mario Karts starts playing in the background.

“Mind if I join?” Mr. Park appears in the living room and smiles at the teenagers. “I'm so lonely this evening.” The shorter Mr. Park has to work longer at the restaurant today because of a company dinner. Sehun is a bit sad about that because that means he doesn't get delicious homemade food or leftovers from the restaurant. But chips and popcorn are great too.

“Nah, we don't mind,” Jongin answers after Sehun nods in agreement.

And so a long night of gaming begins.

 

 

When they finally go to bed, it's well after 1 a.m. The short Mr. Park comes back home and scolds them for being still awake. He pulls on his husbands right ear, pulling him out of his seat mid game and bids the boys good night.

After the teenagers finish the cup, they head upstairs as well, changing into sleepwear and crawling under the shared blanket. Sehun and Jongin has known each other for a long time so they don't mind sleeping close together.

“I'm still sad that I couldn't go to the party… Thank you for staying with me,” he whispers, turning his head so he could look at his friend in the dark.

“Would've been boring without you anyways. Now sleep, loser,” Jongin mumbles back, already half asleep.

“Your dad is the loser. I won more races than him,” Sehun grumbles back making Jongin smile.

 

 

Sleep doesn't come easy. Sehun blinks at the ceiling, unable to fall asleep. Jongin snores lightly next to him, scratching his stomach and drooling a bit. Sehun sighs and turns around so he faces the window. The stars shine brightly, it looks so peaceful. Minutes pass by with Sehun looking outside, admiring the beautiful night sky.

Suddenly a shooting star appears high up in the sky. Fascinated, Sehun sits up to get a better look. It seems like the shooting star comes nearer and nearer with every second. Sehun leaves the bed and runs to the window. He can't believe what he's seeing. The star shines so brightly, blinding Sehun so he has to shield his eyes.

The boy holds his breath when the shooting star doesn't seem to stop falling, still coming closer. Sehun fears it'll crash on the roof. Instead it lands in the garden, soundless but with another blinding shine.

Sehun opens the window and leans outside to get a better view. There are lots of black dots dancing in his vision but he's able to make out the spot where the shooting star landed. He expects to see a small meteor or something like that but the shape he sees reminds him more of a human than a rock.

He runs over to the bed and tries to shake Jongin awake but fails. His friend continues to snore and doesn't even twitch. “Jongin! Wake up!” he tries harder, nearly throwing the other out of bed. When he still doesn't react Sehun hurries outside.

Barefoot, he runs down the stairs, not even Toben who lies in his basket seems to notice him. Strange, Sehun thinks. Usually the dog would spring up and coax him to play with him. Sehun shakes his head to clear his mind, _now is not the time to be distracted._

He reaches the backdoor and slides it open. Still without wearing socks or shoes, he slowly approaches the fallen star. The grass is unnaturally warm under his feet, it feels like walking on a fluffy carpet. Sehun doesn't notice the calm around him, the wind doesn't blow, there are no cicadas crying or stray cats rustling in bushes. Neither does he notice the sudden darkness surrounding him, the stars on the sky dimmed, the streetlights don't shine anymore. All Sehun can see is the human shape lying a few metres away.

The boy takes a hesitant step forward but stops again when tiny lights appear next to his feet, emerging from the grass. He pays them no mind, thinking that they're fireflies, and takes a few more steps. Standing right in front of the fallen star, Sehun is able to see everything more clearly. There is a little bump on the ground where it landed.

Sehun ducks down to inspect the star and his assumption gets confirmed. It is a human! There, in front of him lies a boy, curled up in a ball, his wavy and light pink coloured hair spread out with the tiny lights from, before waved inside his locks. Sehun is astonished. The boy is beautiful. He has childlike features, freckles around his nose. He doesn't look like he's in any pain. No, he seems like he is just sleeping peacefully.

The teenager almost doesn't want to wake the other but curiosity gets the best of him. He carefully reaches out and pushes a stray strand out of the boy's face. “Hey, are you alright?” he quietly asks, afraid to break the magical atmosphere surrounding them if he speaks any louder.

Surprisingly that's all it takes to wake the other up. The strange boy frowns with closed eyes and stretches himself. He sits up, rubbing his eyes and blinks at Sehun afterwards. The teenager freezes on spot. The boy's eyes glimmer in a light blue hue in the dark. If Sehun’s not mistaken he can even make out some faint glitter in the others iris. It's breathtaking.

“Where am I?” the boy asks. His voice is the most beautiful melody Sehun has ever heard.

“In- uhm… In my friend's garden,” he eventually stutters. _Great Sehun, make a fool out of yourself_ , he scolds himself for his stuttering.

The other looks around, mumbling something to himself. Afterwards he looks back at Sehun and smiles shyly. “What's your name?”

“I'm Sehun. Nice to meet you!” he reaches out his hand in greeting.

The boy looks at the offered hand, pondering if he should take it or not. Sehun’s arm starts to shake from the effort to hold it outstretched for so long when the other finally takes his hand and shakes it. His touch sends a shiver down Sehun's back.

“Nice to meet you, Sehun.” His mouth stretches in a blinding smile. “You should wake up now.”

“Huh?” the teenager wonders. “But I'm not asleep?”

“Sehun, wake up,” the boy repeats but instead of his melodic voice, Sehun hears Jongin talking.

The world in front of him changes in the blink of an eye. He's no longer kneeling in the garden but lying in bed, Jongin hovering over him and shaking him with a frown.

“If you don't wake up, dad eats all of the pancakes papa made.” Jongin shakes the other harder. “Pancakes! Papa never makes pancakes!”

Jongin springs up from the bed when Sehun finally blinks awake and groans.

“I try to save you one!” he yells while running downstairs to fight for his breakfast.

But Sehun doesn't follow immediately. The memory of the night is still too vivid. It didn't feel like a dream at all, Sehun could swear he was awake. One look outside the window crashes his hopes. There is no bump on the ground, everything looks perfectly normal.

_It was a dream after all_ , he thinks with a slight ache in his chest, a stray tear rolling down his left cheek.

 

 

Sehun spends the day at Jongin’s playing games and cooking a healthy lunch together. When the evening comes, his parents pick him up and they go home. The next day at school is not what Sehun expected. There are lots of other classmates who weren’t allowed to go to the party so Sehun and Jongin are not the only ones who missed out and can’t join talking about the hot topic. The party is called ‘The Party of the Century’ and it still stings that Sehun couldn’t go. But it’s not that bad anymore when Jongin offers him a lollipop and a smile.

 

 

Sehun doesn't dream about the boy again. Days go by and he starts to forget about the dream, convinced that that's all it was. A flicker of imagination his mind has provided.

It’s weeks later when Sehun is finally over at Jongin’s again, this time to study for an exam. Jongin desperately needs help with math, Sehun himself is quite good so they decided it would be best if Sehun comes over to study so Jongin could offer him delicious food as sign of gratitude. Sehun would have helped for free but he’s definitely not opposed to food.

Following the principle “first work, then play” they study for three hours straight.

“I have an headache,” Jongin complains and rests his head on the table. “I don’t want to do this anymore.”

“I guess we could take a short break,” Sehun agrees. He lays his pen down and stretches, bones making cracking noises in the process.

“Great, let’s play with Toben.” Jongin disappears around the corner, eager to flee from his calculus tasks. Sehun shakes his head at his friend’s behaviour and follows him in the garden.

They play fetching with Toben, throwing his toys in various directions and cooing at the dog when he brings them back. After a few minutes Sehun lets Jongin and his dog play alone, both running around in circles. The teenager lays down on the grass, brushing his fingers through the halms. He closes his eyes and enjoys the sun shining on his face, warming his skin and the gentle breeze tickling his nose.

_It’s a nice day_ , Sehun smiles and relaxes. But the sudden chuckling next to him causes him to freeze. Not able to connect the sound to a person he knows, Sehun opens his eyes and looks around. Jongin and Toben are not outside anymore, they must’ve gone inside without Sehun noticing. Whose chuckling did he hear then?

“Hello?” he asks no one in particular and doesn’t expect an answer. He gets one anyway.

“Hello, Sehun.” The teenager whips his head around, looking straight in the crinkling eyes of the boy from his dream weeks ago. This time there are no shadows covering bits of his face and no darkness restricting his vision. No, this time Sehun is able to identify every single freckle. In daylight, the boy looks even more beautiful and strangely familiar. Did they meet before? Sehun can’t remember and frowns.

“Who are you?” he asks with a stern look in hopes of getting some information from the boy who fell from the sky in blinding light.

Said boy tilts his head as if he doesn’t understand the question.

“Your name?” Sehun offers confused.

“My name? You should tell me!” The boy smiles and sits down next to Sehun on the ground. He’s smaller than him, Sehun realizes.

“How should I know your name?” Sehun blurts out and looks at the boy with wide eyes.

Said boy plays with the tiny lights which emerge from the grass again. “Why don’t you give me one?” he says casually and shrugs.

Sehun watches the lights swirling around the boy’s fingers, some flying up his arm and playing with his hair. The scene is so peaceful.

“Xiumin,” he answers eventually. “Would you like that name?”

The boy nods and his smile stretches wider, revealing his gums. _Pretty._

“Thank you, Sehun.” Xiumin leans over and presses a chaste kiss on Sehun’s cheek who blushes furiously. When he turns his head to speak to the other again, Toben’s tongue hangs in his face, drops of saliva falling down on Sehun’s cheek. The boy squeaks, springs up and wipes his dirtied cheek. He hears Jongin cackling in the background, praising Toben.

“That’s what you get for falling asleep in the middle of the day,” Jongin scolds and pets the dog.

He fell asleep? Sehun touches his cheek again. The one Xiumin kissed and Toben dirtied. Did he make everything up? _Strange._

“Hey, are you okay? You seem kinda out of it,” Jongin worries.

“Yeah, I just had an odd dream,” Sehun answers and picks up Toben’s toy, squeezing it absent-mindedly.

“If you say so…” his friend replies. “Let’s get back inside?”

Sehun nods and follows Jongin through the door, still the soft laugh of the mysterious boy from his dream in his ear.

 

 

The following night, Sehun tries to dream of the boy again. Unfortunately he can’t remember a thing of the dream when he wakes up and sighs in frustration. He spends his days learning with Jongin after school, playing games and family bonding time with his parents. Every single evening he thinks about Xiumin, in hopes of dreaming of him again. Sadly he’s unsuccessful. Instead he dreams of being a well-known model, walking runways in Paris and New York. He even dreamt of him, his father, Jongin, the Parks, and a bunch of other boys being a successful k-pop group, singing and dancing for a worldwide audience. He and the taller Mr. Park even rapped! That dream was especially wild. His mind is really creative sometimes.

 

 

It’s exactly one month after he last saw Xiumin, when he appears in his dream again. Sehun didn’t even try this time, he was just too tired to think about anything, plopping down on his bed when he feels someone laying down next to him.

“Hello, Sehun,” Xiumin says with his typical quiet voice.

Sehun startles but calms down after he sees the boy smiling at him.

“Xiumin! Where have you been?” he wonders aloud.

“Hm?” Xiumin’s smile becomes a bit wicked. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Sehun feels a bit tricked by that answer but doesn’t probe. Xiumin looks at the ceiling, humming a nice melody. Sehun follows his glance and sees the tiny lights dancing in the air above them, in tune with Xiumin’s humming. It’s a pleasant sight.

Minutes pass by, maybe hours, Sehun doesn’t know. The lights never get tired of dancing, some joining the boys on the bed and playing with their hair and fingers. Sehun chuckles at the tickling feeling and teases them back with his fingers, pretending to catch them. He doesn’t notice Xiumin intently watching him, too preoccupied with playing around.

“Sehun,” the boy says eventually. “It’s time for school.”

“School? But it’s still dark outside,” Sehun complains, pointing at the window.

“You have to get up, Sehun,” Xiumin says again, lightly bobbing the other’s nose. “You have a test today. Don’t let all that studying go to waste.”

Sehun rubs his nose and frowns and the boy. “How do you know?”

Instead of an answer Sehun hears his alarm buzz. The sound is far away, he barely hears it. It’s as if he’s underwater.

“I don’t want to leave you,” he whines and reaches out for Xiumin. His hand falls on the blanket. The boy is gone.

 

Sehun feels his chest aching again.

 

 

“The test was way too hard!” Jongin pouts and throws his popsicle wrapper in the trash.

Today is sunny and warm, it’s the time when spring is not really over but summer wants to arrive. The boys sit in the park, relaxing on a bench.

“It was okay, I guess…” Sehun mumbles and bites in his popsicle causing Jongin to wince at the sight.

“Amber wants to go to karaoke tonight. Would you like to come?” Jongin changes the topic, licking drops of his melting popsicle from his hand.

“Sure, why not. Apropos, did I tell you about my dream? We were pop stars,” Sehun ask, lighting up with excitement and tells Jongin everything about that dream. Jongin laughs when he images his dorky father being a cool rapper or his stone faced father singing like an angel. It’s so absurd.

 

 

Karaoke is fun. Amber brings along some friends Sehun doesn’t know but befriends in the span of two songs. At the end of the evening, he buckles over from laughing so hard at Amber and Jackson making a love song duet into a rap battle, jumping on the little stage in their rented room. The others clap in excitement, whistling and cheering them on. In the end they declare Baekhee as the winner because she joined the rapping pair on stage and delivered a dance break in the middle of the song.

Sehun can’t remember when he last had so much fun.

 

 

“You have a nice voice, Sehun,” Xiumin says one night, sitting on his desk chair and skimming through Sehun’s text book.

Sehun blushes at the compliment but doesn’t comment. Nights with Xiumin are not seldom anymore. Over the last months, the boy visited him every other night in his dream. Both developed a routine. First they would talk about anything, then they’d enjoy the others presence, sometimes humming or reading fairy tales. Sehun feels so comfortable and safe when Xiumin is around. He forgets his worries, watching the lights play around, forming a crown on the boy’s head.

“Xiumin, what are you?” Sehun finally asks the question which bothered him some time by now.

“What do you think I am?” the boy counters a question of his own and doesn’t even look up.

“A shooting star?” Sehun tries and scoots a bit closer.

“Then, I am a shooting star,” Xiumin concludes.

“So you’re not human?” Sehun questions further.

“Do I look like a human?” The teenager groans at that response.

“Where do you come from?” he tries a different approach.

“Hm… where might I came from?” Xiumin muses, still busy with Sehun’s text book.

“Can you stop answering with questions?” Sehun huffs and nudges Xiumin with his foot.

“I don’t know, can I?” He answers with a grin, finally looking at Sehun and winks.

“You’re unbelievable!” The taller laughs and shoos the lights in Xiumin’s direction to disturb the other. Obviously unbothered, Xiumin sticks his tongue out.

There are no more questions asked that night.

 

 

The aching in Sehun’s chest becomes worse. First it was a light pain which appeared after every other night spent with Xiumin. Over the span of the last months the pain increased, sometimes punching the breath out of Sehun’s lungs. Usually it appears as fast as it hits him. Sehun doesn’t really worry, maybe it’s just the feeling of missing Xiumin.

 

 

 

“The sky looks beautiful tonight.” Sehun points at the stars above them.

Xiumin hums in agreement squeezing the taller’s hand. The boys aimlessly walk along the street, a warm summer breeze keeping them company. They decided to go outside a few weeks ago, Sehun’s room became boring and the fresh air is inviting.

“I like looking at you more,” Xiumin says. This too changed. Xiumin shamelessly flirts with Sehun every opportunity he gets.

“Oh, stop it,” Sehun whines and tries to hide his blush. He can’t get used to the compliments which never fails to make Xiumin laugh.

They walk in quiet once again, swinging their locked hands.

“I feel like we know each other for a long time,” Sehun says after a few minutes. “Have we met before? I mean, outside of these dreams.”

“Have you seen me outside of these dreams?” Xiumin asks himself. Sehun rolls his eyes. He never gets a proper answer to his questions, that’s why he doesn’t ask them often.

“Are you even real or just something my mind made up?” He grumbles, not expecting an answer.

 

 

“I am as real as I need to be, Sehun.”

 

 

 

The morning after is the first, since the sleepover at Jongin’s, that he wakes up with tears running down his face again. He doesn’t get up, burying his face in the pillow and cries his heart out.

 

 

School ends, summer break starts.

Summer ends, school starts again.

Autumn is in full swing, leaves falling, the rainy season is back. Sehun frowns at his thicker coat. It makes him look fat, he doesn’t like it. Xiumin says he looks cute nonetheless.

_Xiumin._

Sehun still has no clue who the boy really is or where he comes from. But he’s a constant in Sehun’s life, comforting and calming. Sehun is so used to Xiumin’s nightly visits that he can’t imagine a dream without the other anymore.

He didn’t tell anyone about him, Xiumin is his secret. It makes him even more special.

 

 

 

Sehun clutches Jongin's arm, heavily breathing and groaning. “Just leave me behind… Save yourself.”

Jongin rolls with his eyes and adjusts his backpack on his shoulders. “Dramatic as ever. Come on, we've only been hiking for half an hour.”

“What? It's only been 30 minutes? Oh my God. Please leave me behind so I can go back to the car and drive home. I didn't sign up for this suffering.” The taller groans again. His legs won't carry him any longer even though he got the lightest backpack.

“Hunnie, come on,” his best friend whines. “I can't see our dads anymore. We have to catch up.” Jongin tries to pull Sehun along the way and grumbles. “Why are you so out of shape anyway?”

Sehun doesn't answers, whining and stumbling. He wonders what would happen if he just lays down. His father said there wouldn't be dangerous animals around the area they want to set up a camp. His mother laughed at that statement. On the other hand… Mr. Park seemed calm as well earlier and he's easily scared. The smaller Mr. Park wasn't able to join the fun because of some work related incident.

Or so he claimed.

Sehun has the vague feeling that Mr. Park and his mother want to spend the weekend together without their husbands and sons demanding attention. He doesn't blame them. He would prefer to stay at home as well.

Sadly Jongin doesn't leave him behind and somehow he manages to heave him on his back, after strapping the backpack to his front, and carries him.

Sehun is impressed by his friend’s strength. Jongin didn't lie when he told him that he regularly hits the gym with his dad.

 

He's not sure how Jongin was able to carry him all the way but here he is, standing in the middle of a clearing, surrounded by conifers and deciduous trees with coloured leaves.

It's a nice day, not that cold yet so Sehun sits down on the ground and watches the adults fighting with their tents. Jongin attempts to help but quickly flees when a bar barely misses his face.

The men continue to set up their camp, one commanding the other, who thinks he's a know-it-all and doesn't listen, which results in yelling, a short fight with sticks and several rounds of rock-paper-scissors. It's a miracle if they're able to sleep in a tent this night.

“Let's search for some branches for the campfire.” Jongin sighs. “If I look at them for one more minute I'll start crying.”

“Yeah, sure.” Sehun shrugs and follows Jongin into the woods. They split up, one going right, the other left, and start searching.

Sehun collects a few thick branches and hugs them to his chest when he hears rustling and grunting. A snake, no, a fox… or worse… a rabid bear, Sehun fears. He shakes a bit and tightens his grip on the branches. He could use them as a weapon or a distraction to buy him some more time to run away.

He's determined to throw the first branch at the direction of the rustling, slowly turning around, arm raised and eyes focused. But instead of a dangerous animal, he comes face to face with a deer which blinks at him with curious eyes.

“You scared me for a minute, little one.” Sehun sighs in relief. He lowers the branch again and looks at the still animal. The boy feels like he’s in trance, the deer's big, black eyes hypnotizing him. He takes a step forward, the branches thoughtlessly falling to the ground.

“Sehun, stop!” Xiumin shouts. He sounds so far away, like a quiet voice on the far back of his mind. Still not able to break the eye contact with the animal, he takes another step.

“Sehun, you're in danger! Run!” Xiumin’s voice is louder this time but still not loud enough to free Sehun from his trance.

The deer is only two steps away.

“Run!!!” The shout is earsplitting, high-pitched and desperate.

And run he does. Sehun sprints in the opposite direction of the deer, jumping over small bushes and fallen trunks. He's afraid, the sound of the animal quickly following him increases. After a few seconds it's so loud, there must be a herd chasing after him. Or something bigger. Something more dangerous.

“Don't look back, Sehun,” Xiumin's whisper tries to calm him. “They can't hurt you when you reach the clearing.”

He follows his friend's advice and runs faster, lungs and legs protesting. He stumbles on his own feet, falling to the ground.

“Only a few meters left, Sehun! You can do it!” The distraught tone in Xiumin's voice intensifies.

Sehun doesn't give up even though he twisted his ankle and feels blood running down his leg. He can't die here. Determined, Sehun uses his last ounce of strength to crawl forward. He can see the clearing, he hears the bickering of his father and Mr. Park, makes out the outline of Jongin who sets up the campfire. Sehun tries to scream for help but no sound passes his lips.

Suddenly a claw grabs his hurt ankle, stopping any attempt at fleeing. Sehun sobs, this is the end.

He's not religious but prays nonetheless.

He feels the unknown creature hovering over his back, breathing down his neck, claws digging into his side.

“Sehun…” Xiumin's whisper is the last thing he hears before everything gets dark.

 

 

 

 

Sehun groans, his back hurts, his feet hurt, he's tired. And he can't see a thing.

Panic surges through his body, the memories of the attack rushing back to his mind. Sehun hyperventilates.

“Calm down, dear,” his father soothes, petting his hair. “Everything's okay.”

“Please…” The boy doesn't know what he's pleading for.

“Baby, it's okay,” his father tries again. He strokes his arms up and down, humming a soft melody. Sehun instantly recognises the lullaby his parents used to sing for him every night when he was little.

The boy focuses all his attention on his father's voice and the gentle touches on his skin, slowly calming down, his breathing back to normal.

“Hey,” his father mumbles when the song ends. “Open your eyes?”

Sehun didn't even realise they were closed. He blinks a few times, adjusting to the dim daylight.

“What happened?” The teenager sits up and throws himself in his father's awaiting arms.

“You fell asleep some time ago. Jongin went to fetch branches and we were still busy setting up the tents so we didn't notice at first. When Jongin came back, he saw that you have a light fever. I tried to wake you up but with no avail,” his father continues to stroke his son's back in calming motions. “You whimpered a lot in your dream. Was it a bad one?”

“The worst,” Sehun replies, tearing up at the memory.

“Do you want to go home?” The adult offers but Sehun immediately shakes his head.

“No, it's okay now. But we share a tent tonight, yeah?” He attempts a small smile.

“Deal.” His father grins back.

 

 

 

Sehun doesn't see Xiumin for weeks.

 

 

 

When the first snow falls the worry over his friend’s well-being finally makes him sick. The aching in his chest plagues Sehun for hours everyday, he's no longer able to conceal his pain anymore.

His parents take him to a doctor who runs several tests with no result. Sehun is a healthy teenage boy. There's no reason why he should experience the pain he does. His body works just fine.

But his mind?

 

 

 

Sehun sees a psychiatrist.

He's not ashamed of it, he just wants to get better, wants the aching to stop. The boy missed a lot of school those past weeks, pain rendering him unable to think clearly. Nightmares haunt him every night. He can't remember them in the morning but the unsettling feeling stays.

Sometimes he wakes up in the middle of the night, screaming, crying, afraid. Sehun sleeps in his parents bed now, their embrace calms him and keeps the monster away.

Slowly, he gets better.

When Christmas comes his sessions with the psychiatrist finally pay off. Sehun is finally able to sleep in peace a few nights a week, the aching decreases. He doesn't even know why it started in the first place. When he thinks back and tries to remember, his mind ends up blank.

 

The boy smiles at the Christmas decoration on the tree. It's beautiful. Everything shines brightly, he smells freshly baked cookies and there are already several presents waiting to be opened the next day.

They're spending the festivities with the Parks, eating dinner, playing games and watching movies nonstop. It's calm, it's fun and it's everything Sehun wants.

 

“I'm sure my father cheats. There's no way he wins every single game without cheating,” Jongin whispers when they finish another round of Uno. Sehun nods in agreement. The smaller Mr. Park won ten out of twelve rounds. He himself calls it luck, Sehun and Jongin call it cheating at its best.

“I bet my mother helps him,” Sehun accuses and discreetly points under the table. “They're trading cards.”

Jongin's eyes widen. “We have to stop them!” he mumbles just as the adults enter the room again, each a glass wine in one hand. They sit down again and another round begins. Sehun springs up from his seat and places himself on his mother's lap.

“Honey, what are you doing?” She raises an eyebrow. Sehun shrugs and cuddles closer.

“I love you, mom. Can I miss one turn and sit with you instead?” Sehun pouts until she gives in with a sigh.

Now that he interferes with his mom's and Mr. Park’s plans, Jongin is finally able to show off his amazing skills and wins. That's my best friend, Sehun thinks proudly and high-fives Jongin on their way to the kitchen afterwards. Dinner’s ready and everyone eagerly digs in.

 

 

 

Fireworks explode in the sky, colourful lights decorate the black background, painting beautiful pictures. Sehun never gets tired of seeing the sight. One rocket explodes and leaves a streak of glittering lights behind. Just like a shooting star, Sehun muses. He has the feeling that it should remind him of something.

He should remember, he knows it’s important that he remembers. But he can't.

 

 

 

 

“Papa promised to make pancakes for breakfast!” Jongin jumps on his bed, “I can't believe he only makes them once a year…” and lands with a thud next to Sehun who smiles fondly at his friend’s excitement.

“And I still can't believe I miss yet another party thanks to dad,” Sehun playfully grumbles. He's not really mad, he expected his father to disagree. This time the other even suggested for Sehun to sleepover at Jongin's himself.

The boys spent the evening as usual, playing games and some harmless pranks on Jongin's dads. It's past midnight when they eventually go to bed, still giggling at the taller Mr. Park’s face when he drank the soda the boys secretly mixed with vinegar.

 

Jongin is soon out like a light, snoring and looking content. Unfortunately, Sehun has trouble falling asleep. He looks out of the window. The stars shine brightly, it looks so peaceful. Minutes pass by with Sehun looking outside, admiring the beautiful night sky.

Suddenly a shooting star appears high up in the sky, falling down. Fascinated Sehun sits up to get a better look. It seems like the shooting star comes nearer and nearer with every second. Sehun leaves the bed and runs to the window. The star shines so bright, blinding Sehun so he has to shield his eyes.

The boy holds his breath when the shooting star doesn't seem to stop falling still coming closer. Sehun fears it'll crash on the roof. Instead it lands in the garden, soundless but with another blinding shine.

Sehun overcomes a sense of déjà vu. He doesn't have to look outside anymore. He knows who crashed there, so he quickly sneaks outside.

Tiny lights greet him, dancing around his legs, settling in his hair. He missed them. He missed Xiumin even though he couldn't remember a thing.

Anticipation makes Sehun smile, he's finally able to meet his friend again.

“Xiumin!” He calls for the other and dashes forward. The boy lays only a few metres away but Sehun can’t seem to reach him. He runs and runs but the distance doesn’t decrease.

“Xiumin!” Sehun shouts again, this time louder and desperate. “Hey, wake up!” But his friend doesn’t move.

Only now Sehun notices the darkness around him. The tiny lights disappear one by one, fading into thin air. Shadows crawl on the ground, reaching for Sehun’s legs and the unconscious boy laying on the ground. Sehun tries to shake them off, tries to scream for help.

Even more shadows loom over Xiumin, covering him like a blanket. Sehun watches in horror as a shadow inches closer to his friend’s face, slowly slinking into his slightly opened mouth.

All of a sudden, Xiumin opens his eyes, they’re pitch black. He lets out a frightening scream and freezes on spot, mouth and eyes still wide open.

Sehun covers his ears and cries, coldness making its place in his body. He shivers violently, his fingers are stiff and he can’t move on his own will anymore. Instead, he’s moved like a marionette.

Unable to stop himself, Sehun witnesses his feet moving, finally reaching Xiumin. But something is wrong. Horribly wrong, Sehun realizes when he sees his arms raised in front of him, his hands holding a dagger.

_No, no, no, no,_ he wants it to stop, he wants to wake up and everything’s alright again.

But Sehun doesn’t wake up.

 

Not yet.

 

He grips the dagger tightly, and lowers it in one quick move. With his eyes firmly closed, Sehun still feels the overwhelming cold. He feels the dry air he breathes in, feels his racing heart in his rib-cage and something warm on his fingers. It’s a thick liquid spilling all over his hand, dripping to the ground.

“It’s okay, Sehun. Keep your eyes closed,” Xiumin whispers in his usual calm voice. “Everything’s okay.”

The cold slowly shifts, leaving his body which starts to warm up again. He feels the dagger pulled out of his hand. Someone hugs him and gently lays him down on something soft.

“It’s okay, Sehun,” Xiumin whispers again. “You can open your eyes. Nothing’s gonna harm you.”

Sehun does as he’s told and opens his eyes. He begins to panic, it’s still dark, he can’t see anything.

“Hey, calm down!” Someone grabs his arms. Sehun trashes in his hold, kicking and screaming.

Suddenly light floods the room, blinding the boy. He blinks a few times and stops squirming when he eventually notices his surrounding. He’s back in Jongin’s room. Said friend holds him close and moves his hands on his back in a calming motion. Jongin’s fathers stand in the doorway and look at the boys with a worried expression.

Sehun cries, tears running down his face, soaking Jongin’s pyjama where he presses his face against his friend’s shoulder. He holds onto the other like Jongin might disappear when he loosens his grip a bit.

He cries because he’s back, the nightmare is finally over. He’s safe with Jongin, nothing can hurt him in his friend’s embrace. He cries because he doesn’t know what happened to Xiumin. Why did he forget about him? Why did he appear again, exactly one year after their first meeting? Why was he so strange? Sehun has so many questions and not the hint of an answer.

He calms down when his parents arrive, full of worry. Sehun doesn’t let go of Jongin, so his mother lays down in bed with the boys and embraces her son from behind. His father covers them with a blanket and tells Sehun to go back to sleep.

Laying between his mother and Jongin, Sehun feels secure. He closes his eyes not afraid of nightmares. They won’t come when he there’s so much love around.

He sleeps the rest of the night in peace and hopes Xiumin is safe too.

 

 

 

Sehun doesn’t forget Xiumin again. How could he when he sees him in his dreams every night? Last year, the dreams were calm. He could talk and play with Xiumin, feeling content.

It’s not like that anymore. Darkness and cold haunt him whenever he sleeps. But he’s not alone. Xiumin is there too. Even though they can’t talk or touch each other, it’s not as frightening as the first dream.

Every dream has similar content. Sehun wakes up disoriented, not able to locate where he is. Not that it matters anyway. Sometimes he hears screaming or crying, sometimes it’s dead silent.

Sehun runs around, unable to find a flicker of light. Some nights, running is all he does. Other nights, he sees Xiumin. The boy is trapped in different situations. Sehun remembers the ground cracking open, he remembers blood, shadow figures with gruel grins, invisible walls which keep him from reaching Xiumin.

 

 

It’s a sunny day, Sehun’s currently on his way to school, the spring sun shines in his face. It’s chilly but the flowers start to bloom nonetheless. Sehun likes the yellow crocuses the best, so he stops when he passes some and crouches down.

He can’t believe his eyes when he sees tiny light nestled on the overlapped petals.

“Hey, my friends,” he quietly greets them and smiles when a few fly up to return the greeting with tickling touches to his face. “I have to go now but I'll visit you again!” He promises and leaves, sprinting to be at school on time.

 

 

Sehun thinks it's a good sign that the tiny lights appeared. He sees them everywhere he goes. After a few days they find their way inside his room.

Maybe Xiumin sent them to let him know he's alright? Perhaps it's a clue that helps Sehun to end Xiumin’s suffering?

The lights even follow him in his dreams, painting stars in the darkness. Finally he's able to see his surroundings more clearly. Usually his nice dreams take place at home or at the park, places he often frequents.

His nightmares, Sehun notices, happen in foreign settings.

He doesn't know the path he's walking on at the moment. The trees on each side of the trail are huge, Sehun can't see their crown. At the end of the way, Sehun reaches a lake. It's wide and still, covered with heavy fog.

He stops at the shore, unsure what he's supposed to do. Apparently the lights know exactly what he should do when they urge him several metres to the left where he finds a small boat.

He carefully steps inside and starts paddling. It's still so quiet, his paddling doesn't make a sound, there are no waves. Sehun can't see the shore anymore but he's not afraid, a sense of calmness filling him.

An island comes into view not long after, the fog disappears. Sehun secures the boot and steps on land. The island is barren except for a single tree standing in the middle. It looks ill, its few branches hanging low, the leaves long gone.

When he finally stands in front of the tree, the lights fly over. They lift broken-off branches and try to stick them on the crown again.

“Let me help you,” Sehun calls out. He lifts a few branches himself and lets the lights take them from his hands.

They spend a lot of time repairing the tree. To Sehun surprise it works. The ends of the branches attach themselves to the tree. When they're finished, the crown looks full again.

Sehun feels like he accomplished something important. He smiles, watching the tiny lights happily fly around the tree. It looks like they're dancing out of joy.

 

When he wakes up again, the sun shines brightly, announcing another beautiful day.

 

The shift in his nightmares stays. The darkness no longer haunts him and Xiumin. Instead Sehun visits the island every night. After they fixed the tree, he and the lights plant seeds. It's hard work that takes over a week to finish.

Sehun doesn't see Xiumin but he feels that the other is close.

 

The flowers begin to grow. _The island comes to life,_ Sehun thinks satisfied while he leans on the tree. He hums a melody Xiumin taught him last year and watches the lights play with each other.

It's peaceful.

 

 

When the flowers are in full bloom, covering the whole island in beautiful colours, the tree grows leaves. They look like small heart shaped petals, coloured in a light pink. They remind him of Xiumin’s hair.

 

 

It's been weeks since Sehun discovered the island. He spends every night there, the path he takes is no longer covered darkness, and the sea’s free of fog. Every time he steps into his dream a bit of brightness returns to this world.

Sehun feels at peace.

 

It's one of those nights again. Sehun sits in the middle of the island, flowers surrounding him. A fleeting memory passes his mind when he sees butterflies for the first time on the island.

 

 

“Your long legs are a violation against the rules!” the small boy shouts. He's struggling to catch up with his friend.

“You're just too slow!” Sehun yells back and laughs.

It's a sunny spring day and their parents took the two young children to the park for a picnic. The boys were bored out of their minds, so they decided to play tag.

“I'll catch you!” the smaller shouts again with a determined expression. Sehun just laughs louder but chokes when his friend speeds up and springs. Both fall to the ground, laughing.

“Got you.”

They lay there for a few minutes, catching their breathes. They're so still, unmoving and quiet, that they're not noticed by the butterflies flying over their heads.

 

 

“It's beautiful here, Sehun.”

The teenager turns around. When he sees Xiumin, he springs up and hugs the other close.

“You're back!” He tightens the embrace. Xiumin chuckles and closes his arms around the other as well.

“You worked really hard to make this place colourful,” Xiumin whispers and wipes a stray tear from his face.

“For you,” Sehun replies. “You loved flowers.” His voice breaks at the end.

 

 

_He wakes up in the middle of the night. The sound of sirens is loud when the ambulance enters their street._

 

“Yes, I did.”

 

_He calls for his parents when he runs downstairs. The ambulance stops in front of their neighbours house._

 

“Thank you, Sehun.”

 

_There is nothing the paramedics can do._

 

“It's time to let go.”

 

_Sehun screams, tears running down his face. He trashes in his father's hold when the lifeless body of his friend is carried out of the house on a stretcher._

 

 

“Thank you, Sehun,” Xiumin repeats and wipes Sehun's tears away with his sleeve. “I'll always be with you.”

Sehun nods and takes a deep breath. “I hope you'll find peace, Minseokie.”

Xiumin smiles, showing his gums, eyes crinkling. “Now wake up, Hunnie. Jongin comes over in a few hours.”

Sehun smiles back.

 

 

 

It's time to let go.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When he wakes up, the sun shines through his window, birds already singing outside. Today is Sehun's birthday. Today is the day Minseok died twelve years ago.

Sehun looks out of the window and decides to celebrate this day for the first time since Minseok left.

**Author's Note:**

> This story wasn't supposed to be so dark. Oops
> 
> visit me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/neomuyoo)!


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